from the Hambletonian Society
East Rutherford, NJ — CBS Sports Network will present a 90-minute telecast of the $1 million Hambletonian, presented by Mullinax Ford, live from The Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday (Aug. 6) from 4-5:30 p.m. (EDT). The Hambletonian is the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown.
CBS Sports Network, which has been the broadcast home of the Hambletonian since 2012, also will air the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the $225,550 U.S. Pacing Championship and provide coverage of the $320,000 Cane Pace, the first leg of Pacing’s Triple Crown.
“Live television of the Hambletonian has always been a top priority of the Hambletonian Society,” said Tom Charters, president of the organization which owns and administers 135 of racing’s most important events. “The Hambletonian has been televised for over 40 years, and we’re proud to continue that tradition on CBS Sports Network, with the support of our host racetrack, The Meadowlands, and the U.S. Trotting Association.”
The on-air team for the Hambletonian is a stellar trio of award-winning harness racing veterans. Gary Seibel, a former host of racing coverage on ESPN, NBC, CBS and TVG, will anchor the coverage. A member of harness racing’s Communicators Hall of Fame, Seibel will be appearing on his 24th straight Hambletonian broadcast.
Dave Brower, one of harness racing’s sharpest handicappers, will co-anchor. Brower is an alumnus of “Racing from the Meadowlands” television program on SNY, Fox Sports New York, MSG Networks and TVG’s “Drive Time.” He is the author of the bestseller Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races.
Justin Horowitz returns for his third year in his role of trackside reporter. Horowitz, a former sports video-journalist in Minnesota and New York, is now the racing and media manager for Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs in New York and Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment.
Emmy Award winner Mike Trager and the Trager Group have been executive producers of the Hambletonian broadcasts for the past 25 years. The award winning team will be led by producer Peter Lasser and director David Newman, both Hambletonian and harness racing broadcast veterans.
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr. will be at The Meadowlands to present the Hambletonian trophy to the winning connections.
Meadowlands announcer Ken Warkentin will provide his racing expertise and race call.
The 91st Hambletonian show will re-air Sunday (Aug. 14) at 2:30 p.m. (EDT).
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- Takter looks to make history in Hambletonian (Tuesday, August 02, 2016)
It is no secret that trainer Jimmy Takter has enjoyed great success in the Hambletonian Stakes. The 55-year-old Hall of Famer has won the race four times, including each of the past two years, and would become the first trainer in history to three-peat with a win on Saturday. A victory would also give Takter a record-tying fifth triumph, putting him in the company of Stanley Dancer, Billy Haughton and Ben White in that elite club.
- Southwind Frank, Bar Hopping favored in Hambo elims (Monday, August 01, 2016)
Southwind Frank will start from post 5 in the second of two Hambletonian eliminations while Bar Hopping will start from post 1 in the remaining elimination when 18 hopefuls meet Saturday (Aug. 6) at the Meadowlands for the 91st edition of harness racing’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters.
- Iron Mine Bucky’s connections are excited heading into the Hambletonian (Wednesday, August 03, 2016)
When the mare My Foolish Dream gave birth to a colt on Bud Carter’s Delaware farm three years ago, farm assistant Greg Haverstick looked at the foal and told Carter, “There’s something special about him already.” There was no telling what the future held for the horse, or those around him, but it turned out Haverstick was correct. The colt, Iron Mine Bucky, is racing in Saturday’s (Aug. 6) $1.14 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters at the Meadowlands Racetrack. And he is bringing Carter, Haverstick, and others on the journey of a lifetime.
- Western New York ties in Hambletonian with Tight Lines (Wednesday, August 03, 2016)
It’s a rarity to see a Western New York connection in the Hambletonian but there’s one set for the 2016 edition which is scheduled for this Saturday afternoon (Aug. 6) at The Meadowlands. Buffalo Trotting Association President Bill Richardson along with former Buffalo Raceway regular Jeff Gregory have teamed up along with Jesmeral Stable (Steven Finkelstein) to send the 3-year-old gelding trotter Tight Lines (Yankee Glide-Ilia) into this year’s Hambletonian.
- Don’t count out the ‘other guys’ in Hambletonian (Wednesday, August 03, 2016)
A word of advice concerning Saturday’s Hambletonian: don’t take the “other guys” for granted. Southwind Frank and Bar Hopping will be the clear-cut favorites when the 91st edition of the Hambletonian takes place at the Meadowlands on Saturday (Aug. 6). But there are four talented dark horses that can make things very interesting coming down the stretch. They are Sutton, Milligan’s School, Marion Marauder and Brooklyn Hill.
- Hambletonian Day in Grand Circuit spotlight (Wednesday, August 03, 2016)
Grand Circuit action takes place this Saturday (Aug. 6) at Meadowlands Racetrack with one of the biggest Grand Circuit cards of the season. The afternoon program is led by the $1.14 million Hambletonian, the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown for 3-year-olds.
- Bongiorno is looking forward to Hambletonian experience (Thursday, August 04, 2016)
Joe Bongiorno is in position to become the youngest driver to ever win the Hambletonian, presented by Mullinax Ford, harness racing’s most prestigious event. That can lead to some pretty anxious moments in the days leading up to the race. But the 22-year-old from Colts Neck, N.J., has a great way of not thinking about it. He just doesn’t give himself the chance. With the 91st edition of the Hambletonian set to take place at the Meadowlands on Saturday (Aug. 6), Bongiorno will be driving 20-1 longshot Make Or Miss out of post three in the first elimination.
- Hatfield on Hambletonian: ‘There’s nothing that compares to this’ (Friday, August 05, 2016)
Bud Hatfield fell in love with Bar Hopping the moment he saw the colt as a yearling at the 2014 Standardbred Horse Sale. His affection for the horse remains high, and why not? For the first time in four decades in harness racing, Hatfield is sending a horse to the Hambletonian. And the horse is Bar Hopping. Bar Hopping is the 9-5 favorite in the first of two nine-horse eliminations of the Hambletonian, presented by Mullinax Ford, Saturday at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.